Taboo
by MelodiousAlchemist
Summary: There was one rule that must never be broken at Death Weapon Meister Academy - A weapon and a meister could never, under any circumstances, become lovers. (Maka x Soul) Rated M for later chapters and some swearing.
1. Surprise

Death Weapon Meister Academy. The school that every weapon and meister aimed to get into. Ruled by Lord Death himself, only the best of the best could complete their years there, and turn their weapon into something everyone desperately sought after. A Death Scythe. Very few have ever managed to become death scythes, and even fewer manage to complete their years at the school without tragedy. There weren't many rules to follow at the school aside from the few, large ones that were there to protect students. But, there was one rule that was held above all others:

_A meister and a weapon could never, under any circumstances, become lovers_.

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A soft sigh exited the lips of the young, eighteen year old blonde who had just exited one of the cafes in Death City. She placed her cup against her lips, allowing the warm liquid to pour into her mouth and refresh her senses. She felt several cold, icy objects hit against her nose, and she giggled as she wrapped her scarf tighter around her neck. She loved the winter. She loved the snow, the way the stars seemed to shine brighter; she loved it all.

She was about to take another sip of her drink when she heard an ear-piercing scream echo throughout the streets of the city. She glanced around, and felt the presence of a rather large kishin nearby. She would take it on, of course, aside from her one problem. Her weapon had stayed back at their apartment while she went to the café.

She hurriedly ran down the street, until she came across the area in which the soul emanated the strongest. On the ground in front of her were the bodies of two now deceased victims of the kishin she had sensed; a young woman, and a young man. She heard a quiet whine from somewhere in the shadows, and upon closer examination, she saw a small baby carriage. This peaked her interest, and she slowly walked over beside it.

She was met by the large eyes of a baby girl, and was greeted by a happy squeal of delight when the child saw her. Maka smiled softly, her hands grabbing the small child and pulling her against her chest. "Come here, little one. I won't let you get hurt…" she breathed as she kissed the head of the small child. She looked around cautiously before beginning to make her way back to her apartment. The soul emanation had grown weaker, so she knew the kishin had most likely fled the scene.

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The white-haired teen was jolted awake by the sound of a loud slam, and he groaned. "Dammit… Maka, are you alright?" he mumbled as he ran his palms across the skin of his eyes. When he received no answer, he grumbled to himself and rose to his feet. His left hand reached behind him and tugged on the back of his bottoms, and he tucked his shirt into his pants with his right.

"Maka, come on… now isn't the time to be screwing arou-" He stopped when he opened the door into her room, and his eyes widened when he saw her feeding… a baby? He padded into the room and took his place on the couch, his eyes not once wandering from the small child Maka held within her arms. "Hey, Maka… what's that thing doing here?" he asked as he reached over, his forefinger very softly pressing against the cheek of the young baby.

"Soul, she's not a '**_thing_**.' She's a baby. Her parents were killed by a kishin when I was going to come home from the café. If I had left it out there, it certainly wouldn't have made it…" Maka replied as she watched the child suck on the nipple of the bottle she held in her hand. Soul tilted his head, his eyebrow raising slightly. "But, what about Lord Death? I'm sure he doesn't approve of-" "I already talked to him about it."

This surprised Soul, seeing as how Lord Death usually wouldn't allow a baby to live under the care of two students going to his school. "He said that as long as our grades remain high, and we don't get distracted in any sort of way, we may keep the baby and raise her. Since he found out his mother and father were the only living relatives the child had, there was no one else he could possibly give her to," Maka said as she gently kissed the baby's forehead.

Soul scoffed, and he folded his arms across his chest. "Maka, come on. We're eighteen. I'm sure Lord Death can trust us to take care of a baby. Besides, we're only one witch away from turning me into a Death Scythe. And this time, we aren't gonna screw it up." This earned a small laugh and smile from his blonde partner, and she gave a quick nod of her head. "Of course. No more magic cats this time."

Soul rubbed the back of his neck, and then looked at the small baby, now asleep in Maka's arms. "Hey, does she have a name?" Maka sighed, and slowly shook her head. "No. There was no way of telling since the mother and father both got killed… but I like the name Madeline." Soul grinned a toothy smile, and nodded his head in agreement. "Little squirt. I'm gonna call you Maddie for short." Maka smiled softly at her partner, and watched him gently poke at Madeline's cheek once more.

"Soul… did you ever plan to have children one day?" This took her partner aback for a moment, and then he nodded. "Yeah. I did. I wanted to have at least three kids when I got older. But, I'm certain the person who I wish to have them with wouldn't ever take me anyway," he mumbled as he laid his head back against the couch. "Oh? You know who you want to have them with? Who is it, Soul?" she asked with a curious smile. This made Soul's cheeks flush red, and he quickly rose to his feet. "It's none of your damn business, Maka…" he hissed as he hastily made his way back into his room and shut the door.

Maka laughed quietly, and she rose to her feet before carrying the small child into her room and laying her down on the soft fabric of her bed. She threw off her jacket and changed into a more comfortable sleep shirt, along with some pants, and then laid down beside the young girl. Maka's fingers brushed aside some hair from the sleeping child's face, and she sighed softly.

"**_Oh Soul… if only you knew that she would take you if you gave her the chance…_**"


	2. Play

The next morning, Soul awoke to the sound of running water. He blinked slowly, his vision blurry and his eyes still heavy. He rose out of bed, his fingers running across his bare chest and up to his eyes as he tried to rid them of their sleepiness. He wandered into the next room and nearly ran into a wall, and then made his way into the bathroom. He opened the door and walked inside, only to be greeted by a happy squeal of delight.

"Maka… what the hell are you doing up so early? Jesus… it's like… ten…" Soul mumbled as he continued trying to wake himself. Maka scoffed quietly, and watched the baby girl splash around in the bathtub. "Ten isn't late, Soul. And you should be up anyway. We need to take care of Madeline." Soul's attitude softened when he heard Madeline's name, and he gave a sleepy smile. "So that whole deal with the little squirt wasn't a dream, huh?"

Maka laughed quietly and wiped a bit of water from her brow. "Yeah. Madeline is still here, Soul. And I plan on taking care of her for as long as I can. I'll give her the life that-" She stopped, her gaze dropping to the floor in front of her. "I'll… I'll give her the life that I never had." This made Soul's lips turn into a frown, and he folded his arms across his chest.

"Your damn father needs to step it up and be a father to you. But, let's not talk about that. I know how much talking about him upsets you, he said as he walked beside her and grabbed a small bottle of soap. He squirted some into the palm of his hand, and began to very gently rub it into Madeline's light brown hair. Madeline's small lips broke out into a smile, and she reached up to take a light hold on Soul's wrist.

"Hmm… she's going to be a daddy's girl." This made Soul's cheeks flush red, and he avoided looking at his meister. "Daddy, huh? I suppose I wouldn't mind that." Maka giggled and grabbed a cup, helping her weapon partner rinse the soap out of the child's hair. Before Maka could say anything, Soul grabbed the dripping baby and pulled her out of the tub, skillfully wrapping a fluffy, pink towel around her.

"Well, well, well. Seems like daddy Soul is already getting the hang of things," Maka teased as she drained the tub of the slightly tainted water. Soul scoffed and carried Madeline into his room, making sure to grab a diaper and a purple onesie for the child on his way. As if following some sort of instinct, Soul began to clothe the child, and he did so almost flawlessly. The only problem he had was getting Madeline's left foot into the correct side of her onesie.

Maka giggled as she walked into his room, and she finished helping him. "Good job, Soul. I can't believe you knew how to get one of those onto her. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you already had a child of your own," she teased as she gently nudged his shoulder. Soul rolled his eyes and watched as Maka picked Madeline up and held her against her chest.

"Soul, I don't think Lord Death is going to have any kind of job for us today. I mean, the only task we have left is to kill a witch and devour her soul, right? So until Lord Death finds one for us, we don't have any jobs. He'll send the other students out to kill kishins," the blonde said as she looked over at him. "So, how about we play around with Madeline for a bit? After all, when I went shopping this morning, I did get her some toys to play with."

Soul's face seemed to light up at this, and he quickly grabbed the baby girl from Maka's embrace. "I call playing with her first!" he exclaimed, and he proceeded to take the child into the living room of their apartment and place her on the center of their rug. This sudden reaction from her weapon surprised Maka greatly, but she didn't object whatsoever as she followed him and sat down on the couch to watch the two of them play together.

Maka watched as Soul dragged a small, pink toy across the ground and made several, various noises to attract the attention of the small baby girl. She smiled to herself, seeing as how she never thought her lazy, inactive partner would do such a thing in her view.

In all reality, both Maka and Soul had a thing going for each other. But, neither of them realized it. Even with Maka's intelligence, she still failed to see why Soul got jealous of Death the Kid whenever he was around his meister, and Soul failed to see why Maka got jealous whenever Tsubaki or **_any_** other woman for that matter hung around him. And neither of them were courageous enough to admit their feelings for one another, thus they remained in nothing more than a friendship, even though they both wished for more.

But, even if they were brave enough to admit their feelings for one another, would they be able to have their relationship? A relationship as lovers was forbidden and taboo, and Spirit had ignored that rule whenever he conceived Maka with her mother. Maka sighed quietly, this thought running through her mind as she continued watching her partner play with the baby girl.

She had yearned for Soul for a very long time, and the only way they could be together officially without penalty is if Soul managed to become a Death Scythe. Once he was a Death Scythe, they were no longer considered students of the school, and they could do whatever they pleased. This gave Maka a slight surge of hope, and her heart fluttered in her chest. But, perhaps they could keep it a secret for a while until Soul managed to become a Death Scythe. Was that too risky?

She gave a quiet sigh, and when she finally snapped out of her thoughts, she saw that Soul had fallen asleep with Madeline on his chest. She was passed out as well, and Maka smiled softly. She grabbed a blanket from the closet in the apartment, and placed it onto the both of them. She dropped to her knees beside her partner, and with a very soft smile, placed a butterfly kiss upon his cheek.

**_"_****_I love you, Soul Evans. Even if I can't tell you just yet, I'll figure out something. And when I do, I'll tell you. And maybe, just maybe, you'll accept me."_**


	3. Thoughts and Decisions

Soul groaned. Once more, he was awakened by the goddamn sun shining through the window. Sometimes, he wished the sun would just take its happy ass and go somewhere else, but he knew that would be a terrible, terrible thing to happen. He rubbed his palms along his eyes, a slight wetness coating his hands from his 'morning-tears' as he called them. When he was finally able to rid his vision of the blurriness that had formed there overnight, he realized that he had come face-to-face with a smiling and seemingly-excited Madeline.

He gave a toothy grin, his hand gently rubbing the top of her head. Her hair was so soft, just like it should be. He felt Madeline's hands happily tap on his chest, and he watched as she wriggled around on his chest.

"Hey, Maka! Where the heck are you?"

He heard a laugh from the kitchen, and Maka poked her head out from around the corner.

"I'm making breakfast, Soul! What, you don't want little Madeline on your chest? I can always take her in here with me, and-"

Before she said any more, she saw Soul sit up and hug the small child against his chest, which resulted her bursting into a fit of happy giggles.

"Hell no! I wanna play with her and stuff…"

Maka smiled to herself as she returned into the kitchen to finish her breakfast preparations. Soul may not like to admit it, but he really was a loving and caring teenager. Maka could tell that just from the way he cared about a child who had been in their lives for less than a week.

She slid the spatula, which she held in her right hand, under the flattened batter in the skillet and skillfully flipped it over onto its other side. She sighed softly as she watched the cooking batter bubble slightly, and she glanced over her shoulder to check on Soul through the small window that allowed vision into the living room.

She saw him on the couch still, Madeline in his hands, and he was 'flying' her around in front of him. She could hear Madeline's screams of excitement over the baking goods in front of her, and it made her lips curl upwards into a smile. Of course, she would never tell Soul that she saw him playing in such a cute manner with Madeline; it would ruin his 'coolness' as he called it.

She heard Soul step into the kitchen, and he inhaled deeply.

"Oh, hell yes. Bacon and pancakes. Damn, Maka, you really know what I like!"

"Soul, you've been my partner for years. Of course I know what you like."

"Hey, you think little squirt here can have solid food yet? I want her to try some."

Maka laughed softly and placed the pancakes she had just finished onto the now finished stack of steaming dough.

"I'm sure she can have some pancakes, since they're soft enough. She has her teeth, after all. Just nothing hard like the bacon, okay?"

Soul gave a quick nod and carried Madeline to the table, putting her on his lap as he slapped some pancakes onto the plate in front of him. Make took her place on the opposite side of the table, and she watched as Soul tore a piece off and handed it to the baby girl in front of him.

Madeline's brows furrowed slightly at this new thing, and she waved it around before gnawing on the end of it. It took her a moment to adjust to the taste, as seen by the way her face contorted into one of uncertainty, but she then gave a toothy grin. Soul smirked and ruffled her hair very gently.

"Atta girl. Gotta learn to love the good stuff!"

Maka shook her head and sighed softly. She knew that Soul was arrogant, but he could be a good father if he wanted to be. Still, there was this thought nagging at the back of her mind that Lord Death would even allow them to keep the child while they were still on the road of making Soul a Death Scythe.

After the three of them had finished their morning meal, Maka did the dishes while Soul continued to entertain the small baby girl. She watched as the bubbles flowed from the top of the white plate and spiraled down into the sink, deep thoughts clouding her intelligent mind.

* * *

Several weeks passed for the trio, and Soul was now up to eighty-six Keishan souls. Maka made sure to keep close track on how many souls her weapon had devoured, seeing as how the two of them rarely had time to go out Keishan hunting with little Madeline in their lives.

Over the weeks, Maka and Soul only grew closer to each other. It was almost as though they were a married couple now that Madeline was around. Unfortunately, this began to attract the attention of several students around the school, as well as Maka's overprotective father. He worried that Maka would make a terrible mistake with Soul, and break the ultimate rule Lord Death had set in place for the students of the school.

However, Maka didn't have anything like that in mind. Right now, she was dead set on turning Soul into a Death Scythe, and taking care of Madeline. Currently, Maka was home alone. Soul had taken Madeline out for a stroll around town; the night air was lovely, and Soul didn't want to miss his chance to spend time with his 'little squirt' as he called her. Maka's green eyes followed a back and forth pattern as she scrolled across the lines in the book she was currently reading; "Lord Death, the Uprising." It was something she had been assigned in class, and was written by none other than their headmaster himself.

Her attention was drawn to the door as she heard a knock on it, and she sighed as she shut the book and placed it on the table beside the couch. After padding in front of the door, she turned the handle and pulled back, only to reveal an excited Tsubaki.

"Maka! Are you going to come to the Death Ball?"

This question took Maka aback, and she blinked slowly as she tried to comprehend Tsubaki's words.

"The Death Ball? When is it?"

"It's in a week, silly! I wanted to come over and talk about it with you!"

Maka sighed quietly and brought Tsubaki inside, sitting down with her on the couch. The raven-haired women proceeded to tell her all about the ball; how it would have extravagant decorations and all the cutest boys would be there, and how Black*Star had asked her to go with him.

Maka laughed softly as she listened to the excited girl. She wasn't certain if she wanted to go to the ball, seeing as how she didn't have a date.

"Well, Maka, I heard that Soul was going to ask you to be his partner at the ball…"

Maka froze. Had she heard Tsubaki correctly? Had Tsubaki just told her that Soul was planning on asking her to the dance, not as her partner, but as her _date_? She wasn't entirely sure how to feel about that. Sure, she had a slight liking for her partner, but nothing _that_ intimate yet.

"I see… well… perhaps I shall come. It all depends on the timing. I would have to find a suitable sitter for Madeline, and I'm sure as hell not giving her to my father. Hell only knows what he would do to the poor thing."

"Well, what about Marie? She's certainly a kind woman, and you know how she feels about family and such."

"Hmm… perhaps. I'll still have to think it over, Tsubaki. I cannot make a decision on the spot like this. So, I'll tell you whenever I make up my mind, okay?"

Tsubaki gave a small nod and hopped to her feet. She jogged over to the door and pulled it open, smiling at Maka over her shoulder.

"Well, I'll see you later, Maka!"

Maka waved, and soon enough, she was alone once again. She sighed deeply, her head leaning back to rest against the head of the couch.

**_Would she go to the dance? And, more importantly, would Tsubaki's words about Soul turn out to be true?_**


	4. Jealousy

Soul awoke the next morning to the sun heating up his face. He groaned and threw his arm across his eyes, hoping to block out the light. Unfortunately, this didn't help but a little, and he cursed under his breath. Sometimes, he honestly wished the sun would take its happy ass and disappear into some pitch black void. He hated being woken up by something other than his Meister.

He fidgeted around for a moment before he realized that there was a feeling of slight warmth on the center of his chest. He lifted his arm slightly, and saw the happy, drool-covered smile of Madeline. This of course, made him break out into a toothy grin of his own. He had fallen asleep with Madeline on his chest, and to him, that was the second best way to awaken in the morning.

He brought himself into a sitting position, and grabbed the small girl in his hands. He sniffed, and felt himself begin to drool when he recognized the scent of his two favorite foods; bacon and pancakes. He ran the back of his hand across his mouth, wiping the spit from the corner of his mouth.

"Soul! Hurry up and come to the table! Breakfast is almost ready!"

Soul recognized the sound of his Meister's voice, and he grunted as he rose to his feet. He held Madeline gently against his chest and padded into the kitchen, where the smell grew even stronger. He saw Maka standing in front of the stove, several strips of bacon sizzling lightly in the iron pan in front of her.

"Damn, Maka. You really know what I like. You've made the same breakfast two days in a row now."

Maka shook her head at the comment and gave a slight smile.

"Of course I do, Soul. We've been partners for years now. I know almost everything about you, except for who you like and such."

Soul felt his cheeks heat up slightly, and he scoffed.

"And you won't ever find that out, Maka. Geez."

Maka rolled her eyes, and pulled the bacon onto a small plate. She then swiftly moved it to the table, and grabbed a bottle of syrup as she walked past it.

"Just shut up and come eat, okay?"

Soul smirked and took his place at the table, little Madeline sitting up on his lap. She tilted her head at the food in front of her, and Soul cocked his eyebrow.

"Hey, Maka? Do you think that Maddie can eat solid foods yet? I want her to try some of this."

Maka sat down at the table, her fingers fixing some stray hairs that were loose on her head.

"I told you this yesterday, Soul. She can't continue drinking formula forever, so we might as well introduce her to real food now. She's already tried pancakes anyway, so go ahead and give her some more."

Soul gave a slight nod and he grabbed the still warm pancake between his thumb and forefinger, a small piece of it ripping off as he pulled it gently.

"Alright, you. Open up, squirt."

Soul grinned as the little girl opened her mouth, and he placed the sweet bread into her awaiting cavern. He watched as she gnawed on it for a moment, her tiny fingers wrapping around what she could of it. She seemed to like it, seeing as how nearly a moment later, she had managed to devour the piece that Soul had given to her.

Soul smirked and grabbed a piece of bacon for himself, tearing off the end of it with his teeth.

"Sweet. Seems like the little squirt still likes it."

Maka scoffed quietly, gracefully cutting her syrup-covered pancake with the side of her fork before placing the newly cut piece into her mouth.

"Just be careful, Soul. We can't too attached to it, remember? Lord Death may or may not find a new home for it if he deems us incapable of taking care of it."

Soul looked at his partner, and the corners of his lips curled downwards into a frown. He pulled Madeline further up onto his lap, and made sure she wouldn't fall.

"Maka, why are you calling her an 'it' now? You've been perfectly fine up until now with calling her, well, her. Why the sudden change in attitude towards her?"

Maka stopped cutting her pancake, and a low sigh left her lips.

"Soul, why do you always have to be so nosy?"

This took Soul aback, and his frown deepened. Why was Maka acting so serious all of a sudden?

"Maka, c'mon. Talk to me. What the hell is going on?"

She didn't reply to him as she rose to her feet, her hand gripping the plate as she carried it over to the counter beside the sink. She placed it down with a slight bang, one that made Madeline jump on Soul's lap. After calming the near-crying child, Soul glared at his Meister.

"I dunno what the hell is going on with you, Maka, but I suggest that you change that damn attitude of yours. Neither of us did _anything_ that could have pissed you off."

She glanced over at him before walking past the table and grabbing her jacket. She threw it on, and opened the door.

"I'm going out for a walk. Stay here and watch it."

With that, she left the room, the lingering feeling of depression hanging over the house like a dense fog. Soul scoffed quietly and held the sniffling girl close to his chest.

"_What the hell is going on with her_?"

* * *

Maka wandered the streets, the sunlight illuminating her body each time she walked out from underneath one of the awnings that hung from the fronts of the buildings she passed.

"_I really wish Soul wouldn't get so attached to that kid…_"

She sighed deeply and stuffed her hands deep into the pockets of her coat. She was jealous; however, she didn't see it. More like, she didn't _want_ to see it. She was jealous that in the small amount of time Soul had known this new child, he was more interested in _her_ than he was in his Meister that he had known for years.

She huffed as she rounded a corner, but she stopped mid-step.

"_Why am I acting like this? Soul was right… neither of them did anything to hurt me in any way, shape, or form… so why am I acting like this?"_

What she would never realize is that she was jealous. She didn't want to see it; she _wouldn't_ let herself see it. Why?

Because there was one rule she would never break. The one rule her father had broken that brought her into this world.

**_She wouldn't let herself fall in love._**

* * *

**Hey guys, sorry for this chapter seeming really similar to the last one. I needed to explain what Maka was feeling, and how her inner self was pretty much at war with the feelings she's experiencing. I'm so very sorry for the similarity... ; - ; ~Athena  
**


	5. The Death Ball

Maka watched as Soul dragged another crimson red soul into his mouth, and he gave a loud huff of approval as he devoured it. This soul brought his current count up to ninety-three.

"Thank you Maka, for this amazing meal."

Maka smiled tenderly as she fixed her white glove that covered her left hand. She liked watching Soul get one step closer to becoming a Death Scythe. She let a soft sigh pass her slightly parted lips, and she blinked when she caught Soul saying her name quietly.

"Hmm? Soul? Did you say my name?"

Soul hissed quietly. He wasn't certain if he was ready to do this or not, but he couldn't back out now. Maka had heard him mutter her name, so she wouldn't stop nagging him about it until he told her the truth.

"Yeah. Uh…"

He gulped, feeling the palms of his hands begin to sweat. He was nervous. What if she said no? What if she hit him with one of her stupidly-cute 'Maka-Chops?' He took a deep inhale of breath, and he looked straight into her emerald-green eyes.

"I was wondering if you'd wanna go to… the… Death Ball with me."

As soon as that particular sentence left Soul's lips, Maka felt her cheeks explode into a fit of red. Tsubaki had been right. Soul was asking her to be his date for the annual Death Ball.

* * *

Maka was a wreck. She wasn't one to get all dressed up and such for anything other than formal events, and unfortunately, this was a formal event. She knew that all the other women in the school would be dressed up, and she inwardly cursed at the thought of Soul staring at them and admiring their bodies. It reminded her of her own father, and she wouldn't allow her date to stare at anyone other than her tonight.

She sighed deeply as she stared into the mirror. Soul hadn't seen her for about three hours now, simply due to the fact that she was scared. Did she have on too much makeup? What about her dress; would he like it? And her hair! She worried far too much about the small details of things. But, she decided to go for it.

Soul, who had been out in the living room of their apartment, was dressed in his normal dress suit; he knew that Maka secretly liked how he looked in it, thanks to Black*Star stealing her diary for all of two minutes. He heard the bathroom door open behind him, and he rose to his feet.

"It's about damn time you got ready. I mean seriously, Maka. I've been waiting here for-"

He stopped mid-sentence as he caught sight of his meister. She was now dressed in a dark, deep ocean-blue dress that went down a little past her knees. On her left wrist, she wore a small bracelet that appeared to be lined with emeralds; much like the color of her eyes. Around her neck was a necklace that Soul knew her mother had given to her, and her feet were outfitted with a pair of white heels. Her hair had been done into a French braid, and then tied into a bun behind her head. In short, she looked astonishing.

Soul gulped and fixed the red tie he wore around his neck.

"Maka, you look amazing. All that time you spent in the bathroom really paid off."

"Soul! All you can think about is how much time I spent in the damn bathroom!"

She brought her hand down on his head, and he whined loudly as he rubbed the rather large lump now forming on the top of his scalp.

"Goddammit Maka! You don't have to be so damn violent! I complimented you, didn't I?"

Maka gave a quiet sigh, and she ruffled her partner's hair gently.

"Sorry, Soul. But, we really should get going so we're not late. I hope Crona decided to come too!"

Soul scoffed and stuffed his hands into the pockets of his pants. Quite honestly, he got rather jealous around Crona. He always stole Maka's attention away from him, and that wasn't cool at all. Sure, he and Crona were friends, but that didn't mean he wasn't jealous.

"Yeah, yeah. He'll probably be there. But even if he is, he's probably gonna be cowering in the corner like a dog or something."

Maka frowned and walked over to the door of their apartment, her hand vigorously pulling open the door and her heeled feet stomping down the hall. Soul gave an exaggerated sigh, and hurried on down the hall after his date.

Maka felt her hand become engulfed in a slight heat, and she looked downwards to see Soul's hand wrapped around her own. She felt a slight smile tug on the corners of her lips, but she forced the feeling aside.

"C'mon, Maka. We finally have a night of our own, and we need to make it good, okay? Maddie is with Stein and Marie, and we can finally relax from these stupid responsibilities for once. So c'mon."

Hearing Soul's words, Maka knew he was right. She needed to calm down and relax. Tonight was the Death Ball, and she finally had a real date to take her to it. Sure, her and Soul had gone to it before, but no one had ever formally asked Maka to be their date. So tonight was an especially important night for the teen.

_And she was determined to make it last_.

* * *

"Maka!"

The blonde looked over to see the face of her now best friend, Crona. He was wearing the same outfit, as he normally did, but something was a bit different. He wasn't hiding or cowering away like he usually did at events with multitudes of people; he actually seemed quite comfortable.

"Crona! How are you feeling? You seem to be doing well."

He glanced to the side, his hand reaching across his body and gently rubbing along his forearm. A slight smile graced across his face; the one that always made Maka smile in return.

"I-I'm doing okay. I'm actually a lot less nervous than I thought I'd be. I mean, seeing all these people surrounding me made me nervous at first; I wasn't entirely sure I'd be able to deal with it. But, after a few minutes, I got used to them."

A smile graced Maka's lips, and she wrapped her arms around the boy. He had come such a long way since she had met him, and ever since their battle with Asura, he had progressed forward even further.

Soul watched his Meister's actions, and he folded his arms across his chest.

"_Hmph… who the hell does Crona think he is? I mean, I know he's still nervous about this crap, but does Maka really need to baby him like that?"_

Soul stopped himself from thinking anything else like that, and he inhaled deeply. Maka had taught him that whenever he wished to calm himself down, he just needed to take a couple deep breaths. He knew that Crona wasn't intentionally hurting him; it was simply his mind telling him to blame him for no reason.

"Pardon me, everyone. But I believe I'm going to go refresh this parched throat of mine."

Soul glanced over at Kid, and saw him turn around.

"Care to come along, Soul?"

Whenever Kid spoke like that to him, Soul knew that Kid wished to speak to him about something important. He gave a reluctant sigh as he shoved his hands into the pockets of his dress pants, and then followed Kid beside the table that contained the refreshments for the dance.

Soul's red eyes followed Kid's hands as they poured a drink into a small glass.

"Soul, this is the first Death Ball my father has hosted since the war between Meisters and Asura. Please, attempt to keep yourself calm during this time. You're here with Maka, correct?"

Soul watched the young Reaper pour another cup full of the pinkish liquid, and he then held it out to the white-haired boy. Soul wrapped his fingers around it, and put the cup to his lips.

"Yeah, I asked Maka to be my date for this thing. I was actually quite surprised she wanted to come; she usually hates dressing up for things like this."

A smile graced Kid's lips, and he sighed quietly.

"I take it that means she has a liking for you; more-so than that between a Meister and Weapon."

Soul felt his cheeks darken with embarrassment, and he gulped down the liquid in his cup. Did Maka really like him like that? Or was Kid just trying to publicly embarrass him? Wait, what was he thinking? He knew better than anyone that Maka would never break the one rule held above all others at this academy. She was too much of a good girl to even think of doing such a thing.

"Tch, I doubt Maka likes me as anything more than a friend, Kid. You know as well as I do that Maka wouldn't dare break that rule, especially since that's what her father did, and she _hates_ her father."

Kid took a small sip of the liquid in his cup, and he closed his eyes as he thought about something.

"Well, believe it or not, I do have a feeling that she feels something much deeper for you than just friendship, Soul. Even if she herself doesn't recognize it or refuses to, I'm quite certain it lies dormant inside her very soul."

Soul's crimson eyes wandered over to his Meister, who was currently attempting to remove an excited Black*Star from Crona's shoulders. He smiled slightly at the sight, and a slight huff left his lips.

"Well, Kid, even if you're right about that, I doubt she would ever express her feelings to me. She's very uptight about these things due to her father. So, ultimately, I'd probably be the one having to do all the work."

Kid chuckled, and finished off the drink in his hand.

"I suppose you're right about that. Ah, my father is about to call for the main ballroom dance. I would suggest that you go and ask Maka to dance, seeing as how my father has something planned, with or without your consent."

Before Soul could reply, Kid had walked off towards the stairs where his father overlooked the dance. He sighed and stuffed his hands into his pockets before padding back over beside his Meister.

"Hey, Maka…"

Maka jumped slightly at her Weapon's voice, and she turned to look at him. What she saw took her slightly aback. Soul had his hand extended towards her, and she saw what looked like a very, _very_ faint blush spread across his pale cheeks.

"Do you wanna dance with me? It's fine if you don't want to. It's no big deal either way."

The blonde felt a slight increase of her heart rate, and she shoved it aside. She didn't want anything making that buried feeling inside her soul show.

"Sure, Soul. I'd love to dance with you."

She smiled and reached out, her hand gently being placed inside of his own. Almost as soon as their skin made contact, a bright light flashed overhead and Soul cringed.

"What the he-"

He stopped when he realized that they were now surrounded by a circle of everyone attending the ball that night. It took him a moment to grasp what was going on, but when he finally got it, it hit him like a brick.

"Ladies and gentleman! Thank you for attending my ball this evening! But, for right now, let's turn our attention to the middle of the ballroom! Soul Evans and Maka Albarn, you were chosen by the rest of your student body to be tonight's leading dance!"

Soul groaned inwardly as he heard the slightly annoying tone of the Death Reaper from behind him. Now he understood what Kid had been talking about before he asked Maka to dance. He sighed and looked at Maka, whose face was deep red with embarrassment.

"Maka, c'mon. Just pretend they aren't' there, okay? Look at me, and focus on me."

She returned her gaze to him, and gave a tiny nod of her head. With that, Soul began to lead her around to the rhythm of the music reverberating around the ballroom. Soul was actually much better at dancing than Maka thought he would be, but, then again, he did come from a family of musicians.

Everything around them seemed to fade away into a blur as the dance continued. Maka no longer thought about the people watching them; she focused on Soul. She focused on those eyes of his; those deep, red eyes that always seemed to reach her soul somehow. Unbeknownst to her, her cheeks had turned a slight red from her staring at him.

Soul took a slight notice of this, but he said nothing. Right now, he was determined to make Maka feel like the queen she should be. After all, it was only two students who got picked for the leading dance every year. And this year, it was them. He wouldn't let this moment pass as though it meant nothing.

After a few more minutes of leading her around, Soul heard the music turn from slow and intimate to rather upbeat and exciting. The people once circled around them began to grab partners of their own and dance around them, but still leave them in the center of everything. Maka smiled and grabbed both of Soul's hands in her own.

* * *

The rest of the night went rather well. Both Maka and Soul ended up enjoying themselves, and before the night had ended, Maka had fallen asleep while sitting down at one of the tables. Afraid of waking his Meister, the white-haired boy carried her home. Shortly after arriving, Soul realized that his Meister probably wouldn't want to fall asleep in the dress she was wearing; it was rather expensive after all. He nudged her shoulder gently.

"Maka. Maka, wake up. You need to take off your dress before you go to sleep."

His Meister stirred, but didn't open her eyes. She gave a quiet whine and threw her arm over her eyes to shield them from any light in the room.

"Soul, just take it off... my pajamas are in the second drawer…"

Soul felt his cheeks flush red at her words. Was she really allowing him to undress and redress her? Or perhaps this was simply her tired mind speaking to him. However, one fact remained: she simply couldn't sleep in that expensive ass dress.

He sighed as he slid the straps of her dress off her shoulders, and he glanced away as he began to remove it from her small frame. Even if it was the perfect opportunity, he would never defile his Meister, although it would only be with his eyes, without her permission. After her dress was hung and carefully tucked away so no harm could come to it, Soul strode over to her dresser and grabbed her pajamas.

He slid her bottoms on first, and then her shirt. She would stir occasionally, but before he could finish putting on her shirt entirely, Soul felt a pair of warm, soft lips press against his own. His cheeks flushed dark red, and he looked down to see the clouded, tired eyes of his slightly smiling Meister.

"Take that, Soul. A gift from me for making tonight so amazing."

Almost as soon as she completed her sentence, Maka fell back against her bed and passed out. Soul stared at her for a moment, but then shook his head before covering her with her sheets.

"Stupid… I'd make any day the best day for you. You know that."

He gave a slight smile as he watched her sleeping form, and then walked out of the room.

**_He then went to his own, and for once, the young Weapon slept soundly_**.


	6. Hatred or Acceptance?

"And now, class, I will demonstrate how to successfully perform an operation on a patient who is still alive and breathing."

Black*Star's eyes widened as the pointy end of the scalpel drew nearer and nearer to his chest.

"Stein, c'mon! I promise I won't be stupid again! I'll shut up! I'll-"

Before Black*Star or Stein could continue with their actions, all heads in the room turned towards the now open door of the classroom. Stein cocked his eyebrow, his glasses glinting in the light of the room.

"Hmm? What's this?"

Maka stared at the door for a moment, and the slight smile on her face immediately vanished. There, in the doorway, stood none other than the red-haired jackass she hated the most; her father.

She slunk back into her seat as far as physically possible, and refused to look at the door any longer. Stein, once he had seen whom was at the door, felt the drop in Maka's soul wavelength. Even after the battle with Asura, she still had that resentment towards her father; it was unlikely to ever fully remove itself from her soul.

The scientist sighed heavily and pushed himself away from the relieved boy still strapped to the table. He rolled himself over in front of his ex-weapon partner, and the two of them had an almost inaudible talk for about three minutes.

"Maka?"

Maka cringed when she heard Stein call her name. She knew this would happen. Every damn time her father showed up, he _always_ had to have _something_ to do with her. She gave a reluctant sigh as she rose to her feet, and the blonde made her way down the rows of seats to stand not in front of her father, but to the side of Stein.

"Yes, Professor Stein?"

Without looking at her, Stein pushed up his glasses and dug his heels into the floor to send himself rolling back across the floor away from the father and daughter.

"Your father is taking you somewhere to speak with you about something. I recommend you return to class promptly, seeing as how this experiment is rather important."

Maka heard a yelp come from the doomed Black*Star, and she walked out into the hallway, her gloved hand shutting the door behind her.

"What the hell do you want?"

Spirit laughed nervously and rubbed the back of his neck. He hated seeing her like this, even though he was used to this type of treatment by now.

"Come now, Maka. Your papa only wants to spend time with you, that's all!"

After receiving no reply from his daughter, the goofy smile faded from his lips and he sighed heavily.

"Alright, alright. The truth is, I wanted to speak to you about you and your weapon, Soul."

Maka's hand twitched slightly at the mention of Soul's name.

"Yeah, what about him? He's done nothing wrong."

"I heard about the baby that you brought home that night, Maka. I also heard from Lord Death that you've been taking care of it. Do you realize how dangerous this is? It could lead to your grades dropping… but most importantly, I need to know something."

Maka glared at him over her shoulder. How dare he come up to her and tell her what's right and what's wrong. How dare he attempt to be a father figure only when he feels it's important…

"I need to know if you and Soul have done anything yet."

Maka flushed bright red at the words that had left her father's mouth.

"Excuse me? Soul and I are nothing more than friends! Just because we're taking care of a baby together doesn't mean that we're together as a couple, dad. And besides, I wouldn't give myself to a man that easily. I'm not some whore like the women _you_ hang around…"

Spirit frowned and glanced away from his daughter. She always kept returning to his lifestyle and made him feel guilty about it.

"Maka, I'm just making sure that you're-"

"Just shut up, okay?! I don't need your damn help or advice! I can be with whoever I want, whenever I want! You think you can just barge into my life and act like a father whenever you feel like it's important? That's not even a father! A father would always be there for his daughter!"

Spirit stared at her, his eyes widening. He had always known Maka had resented him for what he had done to her mother, but he didn't' realize that she hated him for not being there too. He had gotten that sort of vibe before, but this was the first time she actually told it straight to his face.

"Just leave me the hell alone! Soul is a good guy, and even if we _were_ together, it's my choice! Everything I do in life affects me, not you! I don't want _anything_ to do with you!"

With that, Maka walked back into Stein's classroom and slammed the door behind her.

Spirit stared at the door and sighed deeply.

"Maka… I do want to protect you. But now, I can't anymore. You won't let me. You're right. Everything you do is your choice, and you have to face the consequences of them. I just wish you'd let me into your life for once…"

* * *

Madeline grinned as she tapped her balled-up fists on Maka's chest. Maka had left school early that day, seeing as how Stein felt she needed a breather and gave her permission to leave. So, she decided to pick up Madeline from Marie's home, and play with her for a bit.

Even though Maka had always resented the idea of having children, Madeline was slowly changing her way of thinking. It had been several months since the Death Ball, and Madeline could now crawl on her own. She was so very close to being able to walk, but she needed a bit more practice.

Every moment that Maka spent looking at that little girl's face made Maka wish to one day have a child of her own. Every time Madeline tried to walk, or crawled around, or made the little sounds that babies do… Maka wished that she was her own child.

The blonde sighed and placed a soft kiss on Madeline's forehead. She then heard the door open and saw the white tuft of hair walk in through the door.

"Maka, I'm home. You feelin' okay?"

She sighed quietly, and gave a slight smile.

"Yes, Soul. I feel much better now. But why are you home so late? It's almost eight."

Soul laughed and shook his head. He then walked over and took Madeline from Maka's hands.

"Hey, go get dressed for bed, alright? I'll put Maddie to bed for you."

This surprised Maka, seeing as how Soul was never the one to put Madeline down to sleep. He usually let Maka do it, but tonight was obviously different. She gave a slight nod of her head and walked into her room, shutting the door behind her. Her hands slipped underneath her shirt as she pulled it off, and she gave a sigh of relief. After a long, stressful day, she loved the feeling of being free from the confinements of her fitted clothes.

She unbuttoned her pants and slid them down her legs, kicking them off into the corner of her room.

_"__Eh… I'll get them later."_

Maka sighed softly as she flopped down onto her bed, her mostly-nude body relaxing against the sheets. It felt nice to lay like this. She didn't do it often; however, she didn't really care today. She gave a gentle huff into her pillow, her arms wrapping around it.

"Maka? Madeline is-"

Maka screamed as she quickly threw the sheets over her body, and Soul looked away, his hand covering his bleeding nose.

"Soul! What the hell?! You're always supposed to knock before you come into my room, dammit!"

Soul returned his gaze to her, and he walked into her room.

"Maka, I'm sorry. Please forgive me."

She glared at him for a moment, and then sighed softly. How could she not? This was partially her fault as well for remaining unclothed and exposed like she was.

"Of course I will, Soul. However, you need to come over here for a second."

He glanced at the wall nervously, but obeyed her command as he padded over beside her bed. He saw her green eyes staring up at him, and he had absolutely no idea what she was planning on doing to him. This question was quickly answered; and the answer surprised him more than anything else ever had.

**_Instead of hitting him on the head like she normally would have, the blonde leaned up, and pressed her lips gently against his._**

* * *

**_Author's Note: Hey guys. Thanks so much for supporting this story up until this point. Now, just a few side notes:_**

**_I WANTED Maka to kiss him. A lot of stories I've read between Maka and Soul have their relationship as something on a serious note, however, I believe that after years of being with this boy, she would finally come to accept the feeling of 'love' for him. Now, whether or not I'll have the, say 'I love you' is still under debate. There will be a mature scene coming soon, whether or not I make it an actual in depth lemon is also up for debate. _**

**_Love you all~ Athena_**


End file.
